


Reignite

by LasEstrellasdelPurgatorio



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Aina is Best Girl, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Betrayal, But who doesn't?, Dad Ignis Ex, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, Lio is Trying his Best, Lio is a tease, Lucia is a Troll, M/M, References to Sex, Remi is the Only Sane One, Self-Doubt, Support Systems, Team as Family, Trust Issues, Varys is a Bro, Vinny has a Crush on Lio
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:41:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24690052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LasEstrellasdelPurgatorio/pseuds/LasEstrellasdelPurgatorio
Summary: Ignis calls Galo in to talk. Because he should've done that a while ago.
Relationships: Burning Rescue Members & Galo Thymos, Burning Rescue Members & Lio Fotia, Ignis Ex & Galo Thymos, Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 18
Kudos: 157





	1. Doused

**Author's Note:**

> My first chapter fic! Please enjoy!

“Galo.”

“Hm?” Said bluenet looked up from the origami matois he was folding, “Oh, hey Captain! What do you need?!” Smile bursting forth.

“Hm…”

“Something wrong?”

“…Come to my office for a minute.”

“Huh?”

“We need to have a discussion.”

“If this is about the poles, no one told me they weren’t for dance practice!”

“…What?”

“It’s a great way to stay in shape and improves flexibility! And a firefighter should be able to move in whatever direction they need to at a moment’s notice!” He shouts with the enthusiasm of someone who buys “medicine” from that kid behind the library.

“…We’ll talk about that later. Right now, let’s go.”

“Yes sir!” Galo salutes, following Ignis without missing a beat.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

_“It’s not serious, Aina.”_

_“Remi! How can you still keep pretending this isn’t a problem?!” The pilot shoots back._

_“Look, when someone starts a serious relationship, they tend to spend more of their free time with-”_

_“It’s been months!”_

_“What’s going on?” Ignis asks, deciding to enter the room at this point._

_“Captain!” All four of his subordinates exclaim in surprise, along with what he assumes is the same thing coming from Vinny._

_“Everything alright?”_

_“Uh…” Begins Varys._

_“Well…” Aina continues._

_“It’s not that big of a deal-,” Remi adds._

_“Yes, it IS a big deal!” Aina interjects._

_“Look,” Remi tries to argue._

_“Galo hasn’t gone out with us for pizza for two months.” Lucia states simply._

_…_

_“…What?” Ignis finally gets out._

_“Look,” Remi tries again, “Galo’s just started his first real romantic relationship, so it’s normal if he’d rather spend his free time with Fotia instead of us, it’s a honeymoon phase.”_

_“It’s not just spending time with Lio,” Aina argues, “When Lio’s not here, Galo just goes off alone unless something comes up!”_

_“He doesn’t talk to me about making any improvements to Matoi,” Lucia adds, looking to the side to hide any traces of genuine human concern, “Just repairs if it gets busted.”_

_“He might just be confused about-”_

_“He’s not happy.”_

_That comes from Varys, uttered solemnly, but still managing to get everyone’s attention with how subdued the normally boisterous man is at the moment._

_Continuing, the man starts, “He can fake it pretty damn good, but he’s spacing out and when we’re not out on a job, he just…I dunno.”_

_“…”_

_“It’s bad, guys,” Aina goes, “He won’t talk unless you talk to him, he heads off by himself on breaks and if you try to talk to him about how he feels, he plays dumb.”_

_“…”_

_“Okay,” Remi concedes, “We may have a problem.”_

_The look Aina gives him can only be interpreted as “Ya think?”_

_“…And none of you came to tell me this, why?” Ignis announces, thankful his sunglasses can hide his hypocrisy while the others remain in a shamed silence._

_Because Galo hasn’t been okay in a while and they’re just now talking about it._

_“I’ll talk to him.” Ignis announces._

_Because in the time since the Second World Blaze, he can count the times Galo’s smile has reached his eyes on hand._

_Leaving the stunned subordinates, he goes off to find Galo._

_So distracted that none of them notice the green head of hair listening in._

_…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………._

Locking the door behind them, Ignis stands in front of his desk, Galo opposite him, making eye contact.

“What do you need, sir?” Galo asks, enthusiastic but respectful.

The smile’s still not reaching his eyes.

“I’ve neglected to ask this of you,” Ignis begins, “And that in itself is me being a shitty boss-”

“Sir!” Galo immediately interjects, “That’s just not true! You’re an amazing boss!”

“Thank you, Galo, but-”

“You stand up for us, you give us advice, and when we mess up, you let us know what we did wrong, but in the way that always makes us feel like we can do better and that we aren’t total screwups!”

“…”

Why is Galo such a good kid?

“I appreciate it Galo, but let me finish.”

“Sorry sir, but the idea of you doubting yourself sends a fire up in me that I just have to blow out!” The kid replies, doing some of those weird poses he loves.

“Anyhow, how are you doing?”

Blinking, Galo replies, “Huh? I’m doing great, sir!”

The twitch in his mouth is enough to let Ignis know he just scratched the surface.

“Since the Parnassus, how have you been holding up?”

“Uhh, I mean, the cleanup’s been a bit much, and helping Lio with Burnish rehab’s kinda tough, but overall I’m doing great! I get free pizza, everyone wants an autograph, I’ve made a ton of friends with the Burnish, and Lio 50%-smiles at me up to three times a month now!”

…

He wasn’t really smiling until he mentioned Lio.

“I see.”

“Yup! It’s goin’ good!”

“And how are you dealing with what happened to you?”

“…Huh?”

“Your confrontation at the Foresight Foundation?”

“Oh, my arrest? Yeah, it was tough, but the cops completely cleared my records, so I’m okay!” He responds brightly, giving Ignis a thumbs up.

He can see the truth in Galo’s eyes.

_Please stop._

He’s getting somewhere.

“I meant your encounter with Kray Foresight.” Because this is what they need to talk about more than anything else.

“Well, yeah, learning about what he was doing to the Burnish…yeah, it made me sick. But I stuck to my firefighter’s soul, and fought for what I believed in!”

_Stop._

“Galo-”

“And, yeah, the fight was tough, not gonna lie, but me and Lio are unstoppable! Together, we burn with souls so hot that the Promare could only _dream_ of catching up to us!”

“So it didn’t bother you that you had to fight the man who inspired you to be the person you are today? At all?”

“…” _Why?_

_I’m sorry._

“Galo…” Ignis starts now that the kid’s gone silent, “I can’t imagine how you felt when you found out the truth about Foresight, and I hope that you never feel it again, but you’re not doing yourself any favors acting like this hasn’t changed you.”

“What? I’m still the same old-”

_“You’re not.”_

“…”

“The man who you thought saved you, inspired you, guided you, led you to this post destroyed the image you had of him, the one you’ve been following pretty much your whole life, and then had you arrested, turned the city against you and tried to kill you.” Ignis lays out, hoping that this’ll bring Galo back to reality, “Do you _honestly_ think that any of us are going to buy that you’re okay after all that? Because you’re obviously not; you’re alienating yourself, getting distracted and you’re clinging to someone after you knew them for at most two weeks.”

…tch, “You don’t know the half of it.” He mutters, looking to the side.

“What?”

“It…It’s fine, Captain, I gotta get back to work. See you when the next flame comes to challenge our beautiful city’s peace!” He tries to excuse himself, trying to look excited.

He looks tired.

_“Galo Thymos.”_

That stops him halfway through his walk to the door.

“Here, now.”

Walking back to where he was standing before, he flinches violently when the Captain grabs his shoulders but lets him stay out of shock.

“What. Happened?”

“…” He’s aware enough to droop his head down now, not meeting Ignis’ eyes.

“No one else needs to know, it’s just you and me.”

A chuckle comes, completely void of humor, “Now,” and he raises his head up and-

_Damn._

It’s terrifying to see his vibrant eyes look so…dull.

_“Why ya wanna get all worked up over that, Captain?”_

That smile is more unnerving than anything the kid could have pulled at his time here.

“Galo, what did he do to you?”

“…I got a gun pointed at me.”

“…”

“He knocked me to the ground.”

“Hey…”

“And he was more than happy to let me know just how much he _hated me_ before he sent me to rot.”

_“…Oh.”_

“I utterly disgust him.”

“…”

“That image I spent my whole life chasing after sent me here _to die_.”

“… _What?”_

“And I never knew a thing.” He chuckles again, somehow sounding more destroyed the second time around.

And now, he really regrets that Lio didn’t just kill Foresight when he had the chance, because he knows Galo couldn’t.

“I devoted my whole life to him, and he just wanted me out of his sight.”

Looking straight into Ignis’ eyes, tears welling up, smile broken, the third chuckle is the worst, “ _I really am an idiot, aren’t I?”_

…

_Foresight better get the death penalty, and it better be utter agony, to hell with cruel and unusual punishment._

Moving his hands around, one behind Galo’s head, the other on his back, Ignis pulls him to his chest, ignoring the shudder the poor kid lets out.

He struggles for a bit, but eventually his arms freeze and fall down. Ignis only hears a soft sob every once in a while, but he can feel the wetness growing on his shirt.

“Why didn’t you talk to anyone?”

_“it wasn’t your problem…”_

“Galo, this is seriously affecting your wellbeing, and if you’re going to be on a team, what affects you affects everyone.”

_“I’m sorry…”_

“It’s fine, you just…you just need to talk to someone about this stuff. You can’t let it eat you up inside.”

_“..io…”_

“Huh?”

“I talked to Lio, but he’s got so much stuff he’s working on, and I don’t want him to have another excuse to ignore what he’s going through.”

“Galo, you have more people in your life than Lio, you can talk to any of us, why aren’t you-”

“…”

_Oh._

“Galo,” He starts, because he _finally_ gets it, “None of us are going to betray you like Foresight did, okay? You’re somewhere where everyone wants you around; not so we can get something out of you, but because we just like having you here, okay?”

“…”

Sighing, Ignis starts again, “It’s okay, you don’t have to believe me now, but we’re all ready for you to start coming back, alright? Whenever you’re ready.”

And he gives Galo one last pat on the back and pulls out of the hug, guiding the kid by the shoulders to a bench.

“Just stay here until you cooldown, alright? And you’re gonna take some time off afterwards, clear?” He orders, fully expecting resistance.

To his surprise, Galo only nods, hollow eyes focused on something only he can see.

“I’ll go let everyone know, wait for me to get back.” He adds, patting the ridiculously spiky head of blue for good measure.

“… _thank you…”_

Giving one last look at the utterly dejected boy sitting on the bench, Ignis heads out, locking the door behind him.

He’s so caught up in his own thoughts that he fails to notice the eavesdropper that was hiding behind the door.


	2. Kindling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lio knows he's terrible at being a partner, but he can do some things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is very hard to write Galo sad.

_Someone’s talking to Galo,_ Ignis notices just before he unlocks the door, pressing his ear closer to hear the voice, softer than a feather.

“I know, I know.”

 _“Lio…”_ He hears Galo whimper.

“Shhh, it’s okay, it’s okay.”

_“I’m sorry.”_

“Shhh, don’t do that.”

When he opens the door, Lio’s in there, standing in front of Galo with the firefighter’s face pressed into his scrawny chest, one hand cradling the back of Galo’s head, the other rubbing circles into his back. Lio’s head snaps to him, while still petting his lover and gives Ignis a glare that reminds him that this short stack who doesn’t weigh a hundred pounds soaking wet was the terrorist leader for a group of pyromaniacs that could hold the city hostage single-handedly.

Galo doesn’t seem to notice.

 _“…Lio?”_ He mutters miserably, regaining Lio’s attention, causing the shorter man’s face to revert back to something gentle that would normally be out of character for their resident ice king.

“What is it?”

“… _Am I an eyesore?”_

…

…Damn you, Foresight.

And Lio, somehow managing to suppress whatever violent rage Ignis knows wants to break out at those words, tilts Galo’s face to look straight into his eyes.

“You are the most amazing thing that I have ever seen, and anyone who denies that is someone who clearly isn’t fit to be labelled as a person.”

Pressing their heads together, he continues, “It’s the natural response of any half-decent human being to love you, Galo Thymos.”

This sends Galo back to crumpling, and he presses his face back to Lio’s chest, still sobbing quietly.

While he does that, Lio turns his face back to Ignis, and the glare that could leave an army pissing themselves and crying out for their mothers is back. And yes, Lio doesn’t have fire in his hands anymore, but the look on his face promises utter hell for anyone that would disturb his lover.

Even without the Promare, Lio Fotia is a force to be reckoned with.

But Ignis Ex isn’t the type of man to back down, even in the face of one of the deadliest criminals who ever lived.

“So, you picked the lock, and then you locked it back?”

“…I wanted to make sure no one bothered us.” He replies tensely, continuing his glare at Ignis while still comforting Galo. Said firefighter seems to have drifted off to sleep, worn out from the spilling of his destroyed sense of the world.

“Never figured you for a breaking and entering kind of guy, especially when you could just burn down the door.” Ignis shrugs, continuing the obviously tense conversation before the kid blows up at him.

“It made it easier to get food for the others.”

“Ah, I see.”

“What do you want?” The twig asks, apparently done with trying to be courteous.

“Honestly, I was looking for you,” Ignis starts approaching the pair, causing Lio to reflexively pull Galo closer to him, but the kid sleeps through it, “He’s had a long day, take him home.” And he manages to pat Galo’s head, Lio seemingly trusting him not to do anything to his partner, returning his face to it’s default neutral position.

“That was what I was intending, we’ll see you soon, sir.” And Lio, once again proving to be the utter enigma that he is, lifts his nearly a foot taller and twice as wide partner into his arms without missing a beat and starts to walk out carrying Galo like a princess.

“Fotia.”

Stopping just before the door, head turning back and glare back on, Lio makes eye contact with the chief.

“…Thank you for looking after him.”

Turning back to and gracing the sleeping boy in his arms with a gentle look, Lio seems to reply to no one in particular, “I’m his co-pilot, I’m just doing my job.”

_Open._

_Shut._

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Lio is a terrible boyfriend.

Chuckling to himself slightly at using a term as frivolous as “boyfriend,” even in his mind, something he never thought he’d have, he continues his walk down the street, Galo still sleeping in his arms while Lio walks slowly and carefully to their apartment, ignoring any looks given to them by any passerby as he walks by.

It would have been faster to take Detroit II, but he didn’t want to take any chances at waking Galo up; he’ll pick the bike up later.

He’s still no good for Galo.

Galo’s always willing to listen to his problems, encourages him to do things for himself instead of focusing on others, indulges whatever whims the man’s persuaded him to develop, denies him solely for his own benefit and repeatedly assures him that he’s loved, that Galo somehow found a reason to adore him.

And Lio’s allowed him to get to this state.

Because Galo can read him like a book, can determine the feelings of others so easily and understands their emotions better than they ever will.

And Lio’s let him get like this.

He’s tried to talk to Galo before, but Galo would never let him get too far.

Because he thinks Lio’s suffered more and needs more attention.

Because he blames himself for what happened.

Because he’s now scared of his own sensitivity being used against him.

Because of that _monster._

And because Lio hasn’t done enough.

Well, he can add that to the list of reasons to hate himself later, right now Galo needs him.

Entering the apartment, he adjusts to hold Galo with one arm while he pulls out his keys and unlocks the door, heading to the bedroom to deposit Galo onto the bed before going back to lock the door and pulling off their work boots and gloves.

_You made him suffer-_

_Shut up._

Steeling himself, Lio pushes away his doubt, determined to look after Galo.

“Lio?” He hears yawned in confusion.

Heading back to the bedroom, Lio crawls onto the bed, arms supporting him to be over Galo.

“Are you alright?” He asks gently, brushing Galo’s cheek softly.

“Lio, what, when did we get here?” He asks, growing more conscious of his surroundings.

“You fell asleep, so I took you home,” He answers simply, still stroking his beloved’s face, relaxing at the way Galo seems to melt into the skin-to-skin contact.

He has experience.

“Wait…did you carry me all the way home from the station?”

“I assumed that was inferable, considering the bike didn’t wake you up.” Lightly teasing Galo, he starts to twirl his fingers in some stray blue hairs with his other hand.

“Lio…”

“Yes, darling?” Lio prods, silently cooing at the redness that spreads over Galo’s face that always accompanies any pet name Lio gives him.

“…Are you SURE you’re not actually some powerlifter from another world that was reincarnated into a twink?”

“No,” Lio responds, confused as to how this question is supposed to relate to his previous one, “But how are you feeling?”

“I’m…”

“Galo?”

“I don’t know,” he deflates, looking to the side forlornly, “I just…I don’t…I just don’t want to think about anything right now.”

And he can work with that.

“Alright.”

“Lio…”

“I can’t force you to do anything, I know.”

Because he’s dealt with this before.

Not exactly, but he’s experienced similar cases.

And he’s learned to be what the others needed him to be.

“But when you’re ready, I’ll support you with everything that I have.”

A pair of arms to console a weeping child that’s had to leave their home, an ear to hear the woes of the elderly forced to adapt to a change when they simply wanted to live their final years in peace, a bedwarmer for someone desperate for intimacy but scared of lighting their partner on fire in passion.

“Lio…”

“Yes?”

Tears welling back up in those teal blue eyes, Galo requests, _“Can you just, honestly tell me you love me?”_

…He can do this.

Lio doesn’t disagree that anyone else could do better than him, but he can do this much.

“…Of course I can.”

Bringing his face closer to Galo’s, he releases the flame in his heart.

_“Galo Thymos, I love you.”_

“…Do you mean it?” Galo finally whimpers out after a moment of silence.

Sighing fondly at the man beneath him, he affirms, “Of course, I do.” And he kisses away the tears rolling down his lover’s cheeks.

He can’t do much, but Galo trusts him.

Galo knows he won’t lie to him.

So Galo has to accept whatever he tells him.

“I love you, even when you go out and nearly get yourself killed because of that stupid, beautiful firefighter spirit of yours.”

“Lio…”

“I love you when you keep trying to see the good in people, no matter how matter much they don’t deserve it.”

“Lio, you deserve _everything_.”

Still trying to make him feel better about himself, even when he’s like this.

“I love you when you go on and on about matois and your sparkly eyes light up.”

“Wait…”

“I love you when you kiss me and you taste like pizza, because I know you love it so much.”

“heh…I love you more than pizza.”

Lio very much doubts that, but the smile’s coming back to Galo’s face so he won’t fight him on it.

“I love you when we wake up in the morning and we wrestle over the shower.”

“You have a great chokehold.”

“I love you, and I’ll keep loving you even when we’re eighty-”

“Lio?”

“-and we’ve gone gray-”

“Wait…”

“-and we tell our grandchildren about the Burnish-”

“Lio, are you proposing to me?” He asks in disbelief, starting to laugh.

“-and all your muscles have inevitably turned to fat from the excessive amount of calories you consume no longer being converted into energy-”

“I would never slow down!” Galo interjects, actually sounding like himself, “I’d burn off those calories with my elderly burning soul! Not that there’s anything wrong with fat people!”

“-and you have crinkles because you never stop smiling at everyone-”

“And you have worry lines.” Galo shoots back.

“-and everyone comes to visit you for story time because you never shut up-”

“History’s important!”

“-and we sit out on our porch every day, watching the sunset, and I thank you for giving me the life I never thought I’d have.”

“…Lio…”

“Also, the neighbors demand you put a shirt on, because no one wants to see your saggy, liver spotted gut running in the wind.”

That causes a burst of laughter to come out, one that nearly has Galo doubling over with Lio’s arms being the only thing keeping him in place.

Tears start spurting out, but it soon becomes apparent his laughter’s turned to sobbing.

“I wish…I wish I met _you_ instead of _him_. So much wouldn’t have happened.”

“Galo…”

“I’m the reason he got so far in the first place.”

“We talked about this, you’re a victim as much as anyone else. The only one who did something wrong is sitting in a cell, and everyone knows the truth.”

“I…I’m sorry…”

“You don’t have anything to apologize for,” Lio informs him, pressing their heads together, “You’re the one who saved us all.”

Lio kisses those tears too.

“…”

“Don’t cry,” Lio shushes him, “You’re not supposed to cry over things like this.”

“Lio…”

Moving his head slightly, Lio whispers into his ear, _“You’re only supposed to cry, when I’m making a mess inside of you.”_

“…PFFFTT! AHAHAHA!!” And Galo’s laughing again, “Dude! How are you THIS horny?!”

“When am I not?”

“Ahahaha! I’ve met frat guys with more self-restraint than you!”

“Well, luckily, you picked me,” Lio replies, moving to start undoing Galo’s belt, “Come on, we need to get you out of these clothes.”

“Uh, Lio…I’m not really…”

“I’m putting you in your bed clothes, we’re not doing anything tonight.”

“…Oh…” Galo mutters, watching Lio pull off his pants.

“Come on, arm up, I need to get your sleeve.”

“Right.” He obeys, pulling the straps off.

Pausing for a second to kiss the scar on his arm, an action that continues to make Galo blush, even now, Lio collects the clothes and puts them in a drawer for later, grabbing a soft pair of sweatpants for Galo along with lounge shorts and a tank top for himself.

Undressing, he goes rather quickly tonight, still giving Galo a head turn and a raised eyebrow to compliment his smirk when he catches him staring.

Quickly covering his red face with his arm Galo whines, “You said we weren’t doing anything!”

“I did, but I didn’t say you’d stop being a pervert, now did I?”

“GAHHH! You suck, man!”

“Not tonight, we just went over this.”

“SCREW YOU!”

“…”

“…just stop, Lio.”

Chuckling, he dresses Galo and himself, then gets him situated under the covers.

“I’ll wake you up for dinner, is that fine?” He asks as he tucks Galo in.

“I’m…not that hungry.”

“I’m ordering pizza.”

“ehh…”

“Galo, you can’t lecture me about eating proper meals if you don’t follow your own example.”

“I know…”

“I’ll order six.”

“Lio…”

“Yes?”

“…Stay with me, just for a bit?”

“…Of course.”

Settling next to him, he opens his arms up, inviting Galo to crawl on top of him.

“Sorry,” Galo states awkwardly as he settles his head on Lio’s chest, “I know you’re gonna be sore from this.”

“It’s fine,” Lio reassures him, going to stroke his head, “I find it rather comforting, it’s very similar to when Gueira and Meis would pile on top of me.”

“Ughh…”

“Is something wrong?”

“No…I..ughh…it’s just…” Galo awkwardly tries to respond, “It’s really hard to get comfortable when your ribs are poking me, man!”

“I’m…sorry?”

“This is why I keep telling you to eat more! You’re too bony to cuddle with sometimes!”

“So your intentions are to fatten me into a better pillow?” He teases, smirking slightly.

“N-no! I just want to get you healthy! Not that I’d mind if you got fat, and it’s not like I don’t think you're sexy right now-”

Silencing him with a kiss, Lio settles Galo back down.

“I know, Beloved.”

Face a red mess, Galo awkwardly scratches behind his head, muttering some adorable nonsense.

“…Hey, Lio?”

“Yes?”

“What did the chief say to everyone about…” He trails off.

“I don’t know.” Lio replies bluntly.

“Oh…” Galo responds looking down.

“They’re not going to hurt you,” Lio reassures him, “I won’t let them.”

“No! I know they won’t it’s just…” Galo stops, trying to find the right words.

“Galo,” Lio starts, “You have nice friends; as someone who’s lived most of his life never knowing where to turn, it means quite a lot when I say that.”

“Yeah…”

“Galo.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you want me to smile?”

“Huh?! Where’d that come from?!”

“You mentioned to the captain that you were happy about how much I almost smile as of late, so I began to wonder if it would be a point of interest for you.”

“Well, can you?!”

“…Are you implying that I am incapable of feeling happiness?”

“…Kind of?”

“Then I see no point, please enjoy your nap, Galo Thymos.”

“Wait! No! I’m sorry, please! I want to see it!”

“…Fine.”

“Really?!”

“Just let me prepare.”

“Okay!” Galo agrees, covering his eyes.

“You can look now.”

Galo uncovers his eyes, looking straight up at Lio staring him down with a beautiful, soft smile that just seems to erase every horrible thing in the world-

Lifted into place by his pointer fingers.

“…”

“…”

“…Ahahaha! Lio, that’s the third time today! Why do you keep making me laugh?!”

“That is a…better reaction than I expected.” Lio states, taking his fingers off his face, mouth dropping back to it’s default position, “I’ve been attempting to learn to smile consciously, but I haven’t been very successful.”

“Come on, it can’t be that hard.”

“I once went without smiling for two years.”

_“…Dude…”_

“I know I could do it when I was younger, but now…”

“Hey, it’s okay.”

“Galo…”

“Just means I gotta find a way to make you happy 24/7!” Galo declares enthusiastically.

Shaking his head fondly, Lio snorts, lip curled up ever so slightly, “You have a pretty good idea of what to do so far.”

Eyes widening at the admittance, Galo starts, “Lio…”

“That’s enough of that, lay down Galo.”

And he wants to stay up, see Lio smile, full and happy, but everything that’s happened today is finally catching up to him, weighing his eyelids down.

“Okay…thanks Lio.”

He’s a terrible boyfriend…

“I love you.”

…but he’s a semi-decent caretaker.

“…I love you too.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

_“So, how is he?” Aina questions Ignis once he returns._

_“He’s taking some time off.” He replies bluntly, going to grab a coffee._

_“…WHAT?!?!!!” Coming as a chorus from all five of his workers._

_“He’s not feeling well, so don’t expect him to be around for the next few days.”_

_“But Galo NEVER takes time off!” Aina argues._

_“I didn’t even think he knew he HAD vacation days, remember when he showed up after he got his tonsils removed?!” Varys adds._

_“Yeah, his personal life’s almost as sad as Remi’s,” Lucia pipes up, “Pretty sure he still had his V-Card before Mr. Hells Angels came into his life.”_

_Pulling his hand up from chopping Lucia on the back of the head, Remi asks, “What did you make of his overall mental state? Do we need to send him to any sort of counseling, or…”_

_Leveling his lieutenant with a stare, Ignis regains control of the room, “If he’s alright when he gets back, then we leave him alone. If not, then you can do something. Right now, though, it’s his business to share when **he** wants to, understood?” He addresses them all._

_“…Yes, sir.” They all concede._

_“Good. Anyone seen Fotia around?”_

_“Lio? Not really.” Aina states, tilting her head._

_“Yeah, I was talking to him earlier, but I haven’t seen him since this morning.” Lucia adds._

_“Maybe we should’ve talked to him about Galo first,” Remi admits._

_“Could’ve sworn he was in here awhile ago.” Varys claims, scratching his chin in thought._

_“Nevermind, I’ll find him,” Ignis declares, heading back out._

_“Vinny?” The rat pipes up, standing in front of Ignis._

Is Galo going to be okay?

_“…I don’t know,” Ignis admits as he walks out of the break room._

_“Kid got screwed.”_

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….


	3. Relit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The phoenix will rise again.

After dinner and a bath Lio had to assist with so Galo didn’t fall asleep in the tub, Galo didn’t wake up until a little after noon the next day.

This is fine, Lio has experience extracting himself from a cuddle before, having been a popular lap for the children when he wasn’t too busy, or when Gueira and Meis would imprison him in their embrace in an attempt to make him sleep. So, at 6 a.m., he’s more than capable of escaping Galo’s arms, ignoring the ever-growing urge to stay and soak in Galo’s love and warmth, a selfish desire that grows more convincing by the day, one the man would happily indulge.

But Galo’s not awake to convince he has the right to enjoy such luxuries at the moment.

Quietly opening the drawer and slipping on a loose sweater that falls off one of his small shoulders and a pair of thigh socks , he silently steps out of the room, heading to the couch to start on some work before Galo wakes up.

Time passes quickly, and Lio’s plans to make breakfast are pushed to the side as he gets more absorbed in his assignments, not noticing the time slip by until he hears Galo’s footsteps and finally checks the clock.

“Lio?” He hears muttered groggily from the back.

“On the couch.” He calls out, slightly amused at seeing Galo drowsily stumble into the room.

Galo regards him, surrounded by documents, laptop in his lap and simply asks, “Mornin’, did you eat breakfast?”

Chuckling in slight embarrassment, Lio answers, “It appears to have slipped my mind.”

“Come on, dude! I’m not always gonna be around to keep you from keeling over!” Galo lightly scolds.

“Alright, then,” Lio concedes, saving his work and closing his laptop, getting up and lightly stretching, “I’ll go make us brunch.”

“Wait, you’re just giving up like that?!” Galo exclaims in disbelief.

“How am I giving up if we’re not having an argument?” He teases, softly padding to the kitchenette.

“Usually I have to pull you to the table when you’re working!”

“Well I can’t let you starve, now can I?”

“So, I have to go on hunger strikes to make you feed yourself?” Galo mutters, following him.

“Don’t even try it, I don’t think you’ll find me force-feeding you to be enjoyable,” He shoots back, “And go sit down, I’ll take care of it.” He shoos Galo away to the table to wait.

“Uh, Lio…what exactly are you gonna make?” Galo asks uncertainly.

“…”

“…”

“…I can make a bowl of cereal.” He admits, as he truly didn’t think this plan through.

This sets Galo off, devolving into a fit of laughter, slamming his fist onto the table while his other hand clutches his stomach. Well, if it makes him laugh, Lio can deal with a little wounded pride.

Calming himself down, Galo wipes a tear from his eye and continues, “Sorry, dude, but I really gotta teach you how to make more food. Cereal’s fine.”

Fixing their bowls, Lio sets Galo’s in front of him then sits down to begin eating his own.

“So,” Galo starts, “Shouldn’t you be at work already?” He questions while gulping down his food.

“I took the day off.” Lio responds simply, eating while Galo freezes.

 _PFFFTTTT!_ And Galo’s splurting out his milk, then trying to say something that Lio can’t make out, probably due to not speaking gibberish, particularly in the hysterical dialect.

“Take a deep breath, and start over.” He instructs.

Doing as he was told, Galo manages to blurt out, “ _You_ took a day off?!!!!”

“I believe I just said so.”

“But…you’re… _you_!”

“Thank you for clearing my doubts on the subject, Galo Thymos.”

“What I mean is, you’re like, a MAJOR workaholic! Why would you…oh.”

Looking Galo straight in the eyes, Lio softly tells him, “I won’t leave you when you’re like this.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, I had some files I needed to focus on, and there haven’t been that many call-outs lately, so I don’t particularly see my presence as vital at the moment.”

“…Thank you.” Galo says softly, looking down at his bowl with a gentle smile before he goes back to eating.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

When they finish, Lio goes back to work on the couch while Galo goes to wash up.

When Galo comes back after only a few minutes, Lio’s suspicious, and those suspicions are confirmed when he looks up and sees-

“You didn’t do your hair up.” Lio observes, slightly stunned.

“Oh!” Galo startles, the motion shaking his asymmetrical hair just above his shoulder, “Yeah…I couldn’t really get into the mood.” He answers, scratching the back of his head with closed eyes and a smile, a slight blush on his cheeks, looking more bashful that Lio noticed than embarrassed.

_I don’t feel like myself._

Lio can read him that much by now.

“…Alright.” Lio tells him, going back to work.

He won’t push him.

It’s weird for Galo to keep his feelings to himself instead of going off on some sort of crusade to get rid of what’s upsetting him, but he’s trying not to push Lio, so Lio should give him the same courtesy.

He’ll keep quiet, no matter how much it hurts him to see Galo like this, instead of bouncing around the apartment, demanding Lio take a break and go have fun with him in town.

And when Galo just sits in front of Lio’s legs, slips his arms around Lio’s waist and buries his face into Lio’s lap, Lio just pets his head and stays, so Galo can feel like he has someone who won’t leave him.

It’s the least Lio can do.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

The knock comes about an hour later.

This wakes them from their trance, startling Galo which briefly infuriates Lio, already missing the tranquility he guiltily enjoyed at the expense of Galo’s happiness.

After another knock, Lio sighs.

“Galo,” he immediately regrets saying, Galo realizing what he intends to say immediately, if his tightening hold is anything to infer from, “I have to answer the door.”

“We could just pretend we’re not home…” he mutters, pouting.

Shaking his head at just how adorable Galo is capable of being, Lio gently brushes him off, “’You can’t be the #1 Firefighter in the city if you didn’t answer whoever came to your door.’ Isn’t that what you said last week when Lieutenant Puguna came by just when things were about to get _fun_?”

Groaning, Galo slaps his hand over his eyes, “Oh my gosh, man, are you still hung up on that?!”

Chuckling slightly, Lio gets up and walks to the door, waving Galo up.

Checking the peephole, he sees a…very familiar chest bounce at him before the owner stands back up straight, showing their pink hair and blue eyes.

“Ardebit,” he greets, walking out the door, “Is there something that you need?”

“Ughh, Lio,” the pilot begins, annoyed, “We’ve been over this: Call me Aina! Aina!” she reprimands him, “And a ‘Hello, my good friend Aina! How has your day been? Would you like to come inside?’ wouldn’t kill you, either!” She ends in a huff.

“Did you need something?” He asks again, a bit more aggressive.

“Okay, Mr. Not so Brightside,” she mocks lightly, “Is Galo home?”

Remaining impassive but moving slightly more in front of the door handle, he asks, “Why do you need to know where he is?”

Undeterred, she holds his glance for a few seconds before she speaks again.

“Lio,” she starts, “As adorable as the whole overprotective boyfriend thing is, Galo’s my friend, and it’s up to him if he wants to see me, not you; okay?” She finishes, placing a hand on her hip.

“…I’ll talk to him,” he replies after a second of consideration, heading back in and locking the door before she can get another word in, except for an annoyed “Hey!”

“Lio?” Galo asks when he comes back in, “Is that Aina?”

“Yes,” he confirms, “Do you want her to come in?”

“Well, I mean, she’s already here, man.”

“Yes, but she can leave.” He argues.

_Are you ready to see her?_

“C’mon, Lio, don’t be rude.”

_No, but I have to._

“…Alright.”

Walking back to the door and lifting the lock, he allows the woman to come in.

“Thank you, Lio,” She tells him sarcastically, “Hey Galo!” She greets his partner cheerfully as she reaches around for some boxes she left on the ground.

“’Sup?” Galo responds in kind, standing and waving.

“Nothing much, it’s been a pretty slow daaaaaAAAAAYYYYYYY!” She startles, dropping the pizza boxes which only survive due to Lio’s survival-honed reflexes, “What happened to your hair?!” She questions him, making a beeline for the bluenet, grabbing his limping bangs, “It’s so…un-Galoish!”

“…Galoish-”

“Shut up.”

“Heh, okay.” He responds, chuckling slightly, “What can La Casa de Fotia-Thymos do for you?”

Ignoring the uncharacteristic muttering of “It was agreed to be Maison Thymos-Fotia,” from Lio, Aina starts, “Well, the captain said you were taking some time off because you weren’t feeling good, so I decided to come over and visit for lunch break!” She responds perkily, taking a seat on the couch, “But right now, seriously, what’s up with the hair?”

“Oh,” Galo responds, slightly…nervous, “I was just thinking…might be time for somethin’ new, y’know?”

“…”

“Aina?”

“…”

“Lio?”

“…”

“Guys, come on! Is it _that_ big of a deal I might want a new hairstyle?!”

“…”

“…You guys _suck.”_ Galo finally says, pouting.

“Sorry,” Aina apologizes, “But you have _literally_ had the same hairstyle since we met! And it’s so… _iconic_ , if you changed it, there’d be some sort of media circus trying to get an idea about why you changed it!”

“Actually,” Galo responds sheepishly, “It’s been a little longer than that.”

“Galo?”

“…”

“When did you get that hairstyle?”

“…When I was six.”

“…”

“Aina?”

“Your parents let you get a freaking mohawk at SIX?!” Aina exclaims.

“Well my mom did say I should shave it on the bottom so it’d look cooler.”

“…I can’t.”

“Aina?”

“I just can’t, man.” She concedes, “Anyways, I brought pizza, but…” she trails off, “maybe we could add a little activity to this.” She says with a mischievous look.

“What do you-”

“I’m not on board with the whole ditch the mohawk thing, it kinda grew on me, but it might be fun to try some stuff out,” She starts, “How about it? Want me to try some stuff with your hair and see how you like it?”

“I dunno…”

“If you don’t want to, it’s cool,” She reassures him with a smile.

“…You know what, let’s do it!” Galo exclaims enthusiastically.

“Really?!”

“Yeah, knowing you want to test your skills on me really gets me goin’! Let’s see your burning stylist soul!” He declares with a thumbs up.

“Stylists aren’t supposed to burn things, but alright!” She agrees, echoing his hand gesture, motioning for him to sit in front of her.

“Lio!” Galo calls out to his partner, “bring the pizzas in here, babe! We’re doin’ this!”

“Fine,” Lio agrees, carrying the boxes to the coffee table, placing the stack down gently, “I’ll go work in the bedroom.”

“What, no! Staaaaaay,” Galo begs, combining his pouty lip with his so-called “Puppy Dog Eyes” that somehow seem to increase in effectiveness by the day.

“Oh my gosh,” Aina states, “Lio.”

“Yes?”

“I have…those _exact_ same shorts at home.” She declares, looking at the soft pink velvet shorts clinging to his hips under his sweater.

“Oh. They were a ‘housewarming’ gift from Meis.”

“Oh that was nice!”

“Because Galo said we couldn’t burn the apartment down.”

“WHAT?!!”

“I told you guys that’s not what ‘housewarming’ means!” Galo shoots out.

“We knew,” Lio tells them, “We were just bored.”

“…Ignoring your arsonist tendencies,” Aina continues after a brief moment, “Come hang out with us! You can tell Galo how cute he looks when I finish with him!”

“I’m not sure-” He tries to object.

“Pleeeeeeease.” Galo begs.

_I need you right now._

“…Alright.” He concedes, settling on the couch’s next seat.

“Uggh, stop manspreading!” Aina complains.

“Aina,” Galo starts, “I have been trying to break that habit out of him for months now, you’re not gonna get what you want.” He states bluntly.

“Whatever,” she says in a huff, “I guess you should get comfortable, so you can get a good look for when it’s your turn.”

“Excuse me?” Lio questions her.

“Did you _honestly_ think I wasn’t going to try and tackle that bouncy head of green fluff at some point? Oooh!” She suddenly thinks, turning her attention to Galo, “How cute would he be with twin buns?!”

“Odango?!” Galo exclaims.

“Enough with the weeb shit!”

“Never!”

And they go on like that while Aina works her magic and Galo stuffs his face, Lio just watching them in morbid curiosity at their behavior.

It’s nice seeing Galo so animated in a conversation.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Remi arrives that night after work.

“You left these,” he states simply at the door, handing Galo his change of clothes along with his phone, wallet and keys.

“Oh!” Galo blurts out, taking his stuff back, “Sorry about that! Kinda left in a hurry.” He states sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

“And Fotia,” Remi continues, turning to Lio, “Your motorcycle’s been moved to a parking space, please don’t leave your vehicle in the parking lot overnight again.” He scolds lightly.

“My apologies,” Lio states just as professionally, “and thank you, lieutenant.”

“Not a problem,” and then he turns to Galo, “Galo.”

“Yeah?”

Placing a hand on Galo’s shoulder, relieved when he doesn’t twitch, Remi starts, “Galo, if you really don’t feel like talking to anyone of us about what happened, I can always make you an appointment with someone I think can help you.”

“Remi, I-”

“The psychologist is there for a reason, and plenty of us have gone to them before.”

“It’s…I’ve got it under control, man, you don’t have to worry.” Galo states, rather subdued, looking away but not moving Remi’s hand off, Lio taking his free hand into his, “Yesterday was just…”

Sighing, Remi continues, “Alright, I can’t force you to go unless it really does become a problem, but please consider it,” And he places his other hand on Galo’s free shoulder, “We just want you to be alright Galo, okay?”

“…”

“Okay, just relax for now, and we’ll see you when you’re ready to come back to work.” And he pats him on the shoulders one time before moving his hands off, “Gentlemen, goodnight.”

Walking back to his car, just before he gets to the stairs to the ground floor of the complex, he’s briefly squeezed and lifted into the air from behind.

He’s suspended above ground, but he hears a soft, _“ Thanks, Remi.”_ And when he turns his head around, Galo has such a big smile on his face that his eyes are closed.

Sighing, he pats Galo’s arm, not expecting to be put down for awhile.

He’s not that busy anyway.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Varys visits them the next day on lunch break, homemade meals in his arms.

“Now, I know you love pizza,” the large man starts, “but you gotta get some real food every now and then, Spiky.”

“I eat fine!” Galo protests, puffing out his chest, ironically not spiky hair bouncing.

“Still nice to let your pal help you out! Besides, you have to feed the string bean, don’tcha?”

“Uggh, don’t get me started on Lio.”

“I’m capable of feeding myself,” Lio protests, quiet between the two loudmouths, by comparison.

“THEN WHY DON’T YOU?!” The two yell, ganging up on him.

And that’s how the visit goes, Galo and Varys criticizing his poor eating habits, and they don’t leave him alone until he’s fed enough to be laying on his side contemplating death to end the soreness in his swollen stomach, Galo rubbing it and the TV turned to some box office bomb parody movie that Galo and Varys seem to regard as the new _Citizen Kane._

“OOOOOHHHHHH!!!!!! Did you see that nut punch?! Brutal!”

“I was busy lookin’ at the foxy thing givin’ it to him!”

“Ugghh, why do the leads always go for the chicks that try to kill them?! She’s bad news, man! Hollywood, stop making the hero go after the terrorist chick in tight leather, there’s no reason for her to love the guy back and turn on her bosses, and the dude has even less of a reason to love her! Why would you sleep with someone who kicked your ass and tried to light you on fire?!”

“…”

“Varys, I know, just please don’t.”

Varys doesn’t listen, and the laughing about Galo’s hypocrisy is loud. Predictably, a wrestling match breaks out, and Lio manages to move to the couch before he gets caught in it, not wanting to be touched by their stupidity on top of a food coma (though, he enjoys the view).

But…it’s worth it if Galo’s getting fired up again.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Lucia breaks into their apartment.

Not forcefully, she just unlocks the door with a key she copied (“Don’t worry,” she tells Lio later to calm him down, “I made a key for everyone’s house, so don’t get your thong in a twist.” (It doesn’t work.)), and slams the door open.

“GALO!” She yells out, “The Splatoon League Finals are TONIGHT! We have to yell our support for Splats McGee BECAUSE THEY CAN CLEARLY HEAR US ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COUNTRY!” While Vinny jumps out of her coat to give Lio kisses and nuzzles.

Galo doesn’t even _think_ to question her logic, and cuts the TV on immediately.

They leave dealing with the noise complaints to Lio, expecting him to intimidate anyone that tries to shame them for giving their support to someone who _clearly_ can’t hear them. They're sorely disappointed when Lio apologizes and makes it clear he has no control over his own life while Vinny tries to threaten them for making his beloved Lio upset.

Eventually, the tournament ends…

…and the two start jamming out to a livestream of Off the Hook and the Squid Sisters from some concert that got posted to YouTube.

It’s a good thing Lio didn’t find it important to make friends with the neighbors.

And Galo already has nice friends.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

The third day, the captain comes over, and sends Lio out.

He tries to protest, but Galo assures him he’ll be alright.

Not looking convinced, but trusting Galo, he agrees.

It’s a good thing he has no idea where the captain lives, the irony of a fire chief coming back to his own house ablaze would _not_ be amusing, to say the least.

“Galo,” he starts.

“Yes, Captain?”

“Do you _honestly_ want to keep being a firefighter, after everything that happened?”

“…”

“If you feel like you need time to re-evaluate what you want, who you are without that man’s influence…then alright. No one would blame you.”

“…Captain?”

“Yes?”

“Am I… _okay_ at my job?”

“…Galo, look at me.”

Lifting his head, pitiful gaze meeting Ignis’ unwavering one, flat hair nearly obscuring half his face, Galo still shudders when the captain puts a hand on his shoulder.

Looking into the kid’s eyes, Ignis says something that he should have probably told the kid awhile ago.

_“Galo, you’re one of the best firefighters Burning Rescue’s ever had.”_

Tears welling up in the kid’s eyes, Ignis knows that he’s overdue telling him what he needed to hear right after the whole damn Parnassus Incident.

“Getting you hired was the one good thing Kray Foresight ever did.”

And the kid smiles, and Ignis feels a weight lifted off his shoulders.

Patting the kid’s head before he heads out, he tells him, “Figure out what you want, and remember…”

Giving Galo one last look,

_“Burning Rescue’s doors are always open to you, no matter what you decide.”_

And he can leave content, because the kid’s smile finally reached his eyes again.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

That next Monday, Lio comes into work with a carrier hooked onto Detroit II.

When pressed, he refuses to reveal what’s inside of it. Why he’s doing it on the other hand…

“He said that if I didn’t help him, he wouldn’t give me a blowjob until next year.” Lio tells them, face as stoic as always, in contrast to the very colorful reactions of his coworkers.

“Too much information, Lio!” Aina complains, “TMI! TMI!”

Lio chooses to ignore this, and goes to unlock the carrier, pressing a button on his phone to play dramatic music, standing next to the carrier, still indifferent.

 _“They tried to douse it…”_ Galo’s voice comes out of the mobile device.

“Oh, God…” Remi mutters.

_“They snuffed it out for awhile…”_

“Is it too late to leave?” Varys wonders.

“Yes.” Lio tells him immediately.

_“But in the end, it was too hot!”_

The door to the carrier is kicked open, and Galo jumps out, spiked hair flowing, confetti exploding from the inside, spinning his matoi around until he stops, spreading his hand out, and yelling,

“MY BURNING FIREFIGHTER SOUL WAS REBORN!”

…

“SERIOUSLY?!”

“GALO, WHY?!”

“GO BLOW LIO, HE EARNED IT!”

“LUCIA, NO!”

Ignis walks over to Galo, looks him sternly in the eye and tells him, “Clean your mess up, or I’m docking you your week’s pay.”

“Yes, sir!” The bluenet salutes.

And the crew’s surrounding him, teasing, throwing arms over his shoulders and the kid’s smiling through it all.

“Thank you for looking after him.”

And that startles him a bit, cocking his head to the side to see Fotia, regarding the group next to him.

“…I’m his captain, I’m just doing my job.”

And the ghost of a smile stretches onto the Burnish’s mouth, “I suppose so.”

“Aren’t you gonna get in there?”

“Huh?”

“He could use you.”

“Hm,” Lio responds quietly, “He has more people than me who can support him.”

“True, but…”

“Hm?”

“He wants you!” Ignis calls out, playfully pushing him to the others.

“Lio!”

“Get in here, buddy!”

“Get your due!”

“Lucia, no!”

Looking back to see the captain heading to his office, Lio decides to let the others absorb him into their circle around Galo, just this once.

Regarding his lover, the way he’s ecstatic about being at work for the first time in a while, he knows Galo’s safe with these people right now.

_Like a phoenix, risen from ash._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're a good group.


End file.
